We currently have four players out on loan so we decided to take a look at how each one has performed and what their future could hold for them.
CARL WINCHESTER
A man who appeared often in a Sunderland shirt during last season’s successful promotion campaign, playing a total of 45 times in all competitions, the defensive midfielder now finds himself out on loan at League One side Shrewsbury following a move in the summer transfer window. His loan spell so far has been quite successful, with Winchester making a total of 36 appearances for the Shrews in all competitions so far and his defensive work has helped them climb from 18th last campaign up to 11th (as it stands) this season. His passing work in particular has been top notch. Shrewsbury’s playoff push has unfortunately fallen off a cliff recently, with five defeats in the last six, so he is unlikely to win a second promotion in a row in League One. I doubt he will be back in a Sunderland shirt once this season is over however, with competition in the midfield stiff here and Carl now being 30 years old, a move to Shrewsbury permanently or another League One side seems likely.
JAY MATETE
Speak to any Plymouth Argyle fan and they’ll tell you just how good he’s been for them, as the Pilgrims seek automatic promotion to the Championship. He’s been so good in fact that many of our own supporters have questioned why he was loaned out in the first place, especially after Corry Evans now has a long term injury until October. His excellence in the central midfield has helped maintain Argyle’s push for promotion, they currently find themselves 2nd. He’s made a big impact in his 17 games so far, helping Plymouth to an EFL Trophy final (although the less said about the actual final the better), and most recently he contributed with a goal and an assist in just six minutes after coming on off the bench in a 3-1 win over Morecambe. His dribbling (a reflection of his new found confidence perhaps) has been brilliant and he’s been great defensively as well, with zero errors leading to goals so far. In regards to what may happen to him in the future, I expect he will be seen a lot more frequently in red and white next season. He’s still only 22 and will offer perfect competition to the likes of Michut (assuming we sign him permanently of course) and Dan Neil. Whilst Plymouth fans would probably more than want him to stay there on a permanent basis, or even getting him on loan for a second season, I think that’s unlikely and that Matete himself will probably choose to stay here and fight for a place in our starting eleven.
LEON DAJAKU
Things haven’t gone swimmingly for Dajaku since Christmas of last season, he hasn’t scored a single goal in either a Sunderland shirt or for St.Gallen of the Swiss Super League. A total of ten appearances have been made by Leon as he and his teammates find themselves in a battle for European football next season. Their season hasn’t gone great recently, since returning from the World Cup break they’ve managed just two wins in 12 and have been knocked out of the Swiss Cup. They still find themselves 3rd but will need to pick up their form substantially to achieve European football next season. Dajaku hasn’t had a great time himself, with just two assists in 10 matches and in his most recent outing being shown a red card. Although it would be wrong to say he’s been awful, he certainly has a future in the game. I doubt he’ll be back in red and white stripes in the future and a permanent move to his current Swiss side seems unlikely. Somebody on the continent (or elsewhere perhaps) will take him, maybe a move to League One is a possibility for him as well.
BAILEY WRIGHT
How unlucky can one man get? He not only suffered a concussion on his debut for Rotherham, he’s now broken his leg during a 3-1 win at home to West Brom. When he has been able to play he’s been good. Performances at home to QPR and away to Swansea, where he managed a full 90 minutes showed his quality. You don’t get put in a World Cup squad by being a bad player after all (well usually). He’s managed seven games for the Millers but his season is now over unfortunately. So what’s next for the 30-year-old? He won’t be back in a Sunderland shirt I’d guess and he most likely won’t be signed permanently by Rotherham because of his troubles. My prediction would be he will be picked up by a lower mid table Championship club or perhaps a promotion chasing League One side, a move to one of the sides that get promoted this season wouldn’t be out of the question.
